


Hot And Cold, You're A Devil

by apricotyogurt



Category: K-pop, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), Super Junior, VIXX
Genre: Bisexual Characters, Detectives, Gay Characters, Genderfluid Character, Gun Violence, M/M, Organized Crime, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Police, Polyamory, Trans Male Character, dirty cops, mafia, non binary character, pansexual characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24355687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apricotyogurt/pseuds/apricotyogurt
Summary: Kyuhyun has only been a fully fledged detective for 6 months when his department captain, Irene, hands him a new case. Kyuhyun, being a young detective protests having to handle such a difficult case solo, but Irene insists. Defeated, Kyuhyun takes the case and begins work on it, expecting it to feel easier the more familiar he becomes with the materials. Oh how wrong he was.An au based on the 'Devil' MV.
Relationships: Platonic Relationships - Relationship, i just despise building my own characters, thank you - Relationship, this au is not made for shipping, this is a genuine storytelling thing
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. The Circus

“Kyuhyun, I’m giving you the circus, now that Hongbin has moved on from us. Alright?” Irene said with her typical sing-songy tone, indicating to Kyuhyun this was not a matter of choice, at least not on his part. Kyuhyun spat out his coffee in an almost comical way, several drops landing on the stack of papers Irene had dropped in front of him. 

“Are you _kidding_ Rene? I’ve been here 6 months, I’m not exactly the best choice for this. You have Wonshik or Taekwoon, they’ve been here years longer than I have.” He whined exasperatedly. Irene rolled her eyes and turned to face away from Kyuhyun, one hand resting on her hip sassily. 

“Wonshik, Taekwoon, will either of you take on the circus now Hongbin has moved downstairs to cyber crime?” She called out across the room, catching the attention of the aforementioned men. Both men shook their heads quickly, looks of displeasure on their faces. 

“God no, I have enough on my hands with my own personal Pablo Escobar case, I’m not throwing out all my progress for that shit show.” Wonshik replied with a pained expression, his hand gesturing to the piles upon piles of folders stacked across his desk. Irene nodded, satisfied with Wonshik’s response before turning her head slightly to look at Taekwoon.

“I have enough on my hands, Rene, I have 2 active prostitution rings to dismantle. I’ll resign on the spot if you try to give me the circus.” Taekwoon answered sweetly, his meek voice contrasting his intimidating exterior as per usual. Irene nodded again, a smile plastered across her face. 

“Well, that's that then, isn’t it Kyu? The circus is yours. Have fun.” She started “One of our patrol officers brought in Harley this morning, you can start by interviewing him and go from there, sound good?” She finished with a sweet smile, obviously relishing in Kyuhyun’s pain. 

“Fine. But you better make me a new coffee for when I’m finished with him. I saw Hongbin bashing his head on a wall after interviewing that little rat.” He sighed, finally picking up the folder labelled “Harley” and quickly flipping through the papers. Irene patted Kyuhyun on the shoulder and pointed toward the interview room, a small room just slightly removed from the main bullpen. 

“You’ll need more than coffee after dealing with him. I’ll make you something.” Irene said comfortingly before sauntering off to her office, leaving Kyuhyun to his new found torment. 

“Kyu, it’ll be fine. Everyone has to take on their first big case and its better you get it out of the way so you can feel more confident sooner.” Taekwoon called out to Kyuhyun, a gentle smile on his face. Kyuhyun sighed and relaxed a little, although his shoulders stayed noticeably tense. 

“Yeah, I know, its just… Its the circus. I’ll be working on this for my whole career. I know what they’re like.” He muttered, his free hand now running through the fine strands of his brown, wavy hair. Wonshik rose from his chair and headed toward Kyuhyun, a hand hidden in his pocket. 

“Here, take this with you, Harley can get a little rowdy. And I’m sure he’ll be extra upset to find out that Hongbin is off the case.” Wonshik said quietly, slipping a small bottle into Kyuhyun’s hand, a bottle Kyuhyun recognised as bear spray. He looked up at Wonshik with wide eyes, baffled at the fact Wonshik even had something so potent to hand in the first place. 

“Shik, he’s a little 5’6 guy with no muscle mass, bear spray is a bit much dont you think?” Kyuhyun sputtered, inspecting the sleek black can in his hand. Wonshik chuckled and pushed Kyuhyun’s hand toward his pocket, urging him to take the spray. 

“Don’t underestimate Harley, that’s your first mistake. He’s proven enough times that regular pepper spray isn’t going to bother him.” Wonshik spoke quietly again, his gaze pointed toward the interview room, where a small frame could be seen dancing childishly through the one way glass separating the bullpen and the room itself. Kyuhyun gulped and began walking over to the room, suddenly way more nervous than he had ever been in his life.

♱

The interview room had always been Kyuhyun’s least favourite place to be, purely because he knew everyone could see in, but he couldn’t see out of the room. It made him feel trapped, as silly as that sounds to literally anyone he’s ever told. Kyuhyun looked over his papers again, making note of the arrest details and the details of the man he was being sent to interview. The file in his hands looked as though it could cover an entire year long case, despite being solely dedicated to this one man. This one harmless looking man. Kyuhyun glanced briefly over the section that described his new suspect, his eyes widening as he read further and further down the page. 

_Kim Ryeowook (Harley):_

_Age: 32 (1987.06.21) Height: 5 feet 6 inches (172 cm)_

_Sex: male_

_Previous arrests: 23_

_Previous jail time:_

  * _1 week at age 15, charged for petty theft of a kitchen knife (shoplifting),_


  * _3 months at age 16, charged for physical assault._


  * _3 months at age 17, charged for possession of a weapon._
  * _6 months at age 17, charged for grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent._



_Previous charges:_

  * _Petty theft (shoplifting)._


  * _Physical assault._


  * _Possession of a weapon_
  * _GBH with intent_



Even during his studies to become an officer and later a detective, Kyuhyun had never seen a single person have so many arrests to their name without a life sentence, this guy had obviously gotten lucky, or had some big money. Kyuhyun really didn’t know what to expect from this man. 

Looking through the glass all Kyuhyun could see was a harmless looking man, he didn’t look overly intimidating, being a slightly shorter than average, and not exactly muscular although definitely toned. His hair looked well kept and cared for, black curls and a few silver highlights adorning his smooth face and his cat like eyes sported black eyeliner with a small wing on each side. Kyuhyun sighed and finally grabbed the door handle, twisting it carefully until he heard a _click_ as the lock released. He stepped into the room carefully, allowing the door to click shut again behind him. The clicking from the second lock alerted the smaller man who was already in the room, pulling faces in the mirror in a clear hope that one of the detectives on the other side would see him.

“Binnie! I’ve missed you so mu-- You’re not Hongbin.” He began happily, his sentence ending with an obvious shift in tone as he span to face Kyuhyun that for whatever reason, made Kyuhyun very nervous. 

“No, I’m not Hongbin. I’m detective Cho Kyuhyun. Take a seat across from me here,” Kyuhyun replied before pulling out the chair in front of him and taking a seat. He flipped through the papers briefly and pulled out the newest sheet, noting the days date written carefully beside the arresting officers name. He took a second to read the details again before looking back up at Ryeowook, who had maintained a neutral expression since Kyuhyun had last looked at him. 

“When is Hongbin coming?” He asked flatly, not making any effort to move toward his own chair. Kyuhyun laid his hands carefully on the table and met Ryeowook’s gaze, trying to appear casual. 

“Hongbin isn’t coming. He has moved to cyber crime now, I have been tasked with taking over your case from this point forward. Please take your seat so we can get this over with.” Kyuhyun answered confidently, their gazes still locked. Ryeowook maintained his neutral expression, and took a deep breath, before suddenly pulling his chair out and throwing it at the wall behind him, his expression suddenly a lot angrier than it had been seconds before. 

“Well I don’t want that! I want Hongbin to be my detective! Hongbin has been my detective for 5 years!” Ryeowook shrieked, making Kyuhyun suddenly understand why Wonshik had given him that can of bear spray. 

“Hongbin works in a different department now, he is no longer your detective. If you pick up that chair and sit down across from me we can get this done quickly and you can be on your merry way. Sound good?” Kyuhyun kept his own composure as he had been taught to in his basic training, not giving any indication that he was now a little bit intimidated by Ryeowook. Ryeowook kicked the chair that now laid abandoned on the ground, a harsh metal scraping bouncing off the concrete walls around the pair. 

“No that does not sound good! I don’t want you in here!” He shrieked again and walked to the other side of the room, sliding down the wall until he was sat fully on the floor, his arms crossed across his chest and his eyebrows furrowed angrily. Kyuhyun sighed and glanced at his watch. He had only been in charge of this case for 15 minutes and he was already fed up with it. 

“You can stay down there on the floor as long as you like, but that will only prolong our time together. Its up to you.” Kyuhyun said, his eyes flicking between Ryeowook and the door for a few seconds. Ryeowook looked up from his place on the floor and kept his stern expression

“I’m going to stay here until Siwon gets here. I don’t like you, and I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” He muttered grumpily, his fit clearly over, at least for the time being. Kyuhyun looked down at the paper in front of him and noticed the name ‘Choi Siwon’ multiple times through the numerous sections, 

“Is that your lawyers name?” He questioned, half expecting Ryeowook to ignore him entirely, given his current mood.

“What do you think? They don’t just let friends come in here do they?” Ryeowook spat back, not even looking up at Kyuhyun this time. Kyuhyun sighed and stood up, sliding the papers into the folder again. 

“Well you can stay there as long as you like and I will come back when your lawyer arrives. Deal?” Kyuhyun asked rhetorically, fully aware that Ryeowook had no standing in his current situation. 

“Fuck you.” Ryeowook answered anyway, making Kyuhyun roll his eyes heavily. 

“Of course. I will come back soon. Don’t hurt yourself.” He grumbled as he left, locking the door securely behind him. As soon as he reached the pillar full of notices Kyuhyun leant against it, his face almost smushed against the papers pinned up there. He stayed there for a few minutes before Wonshik’s voice snapped him out of his pain party, bringing him harshly back to reality. 

“Its about to get a lot worse Kyu. His lawyer is here.” Wonshik called out, pointing a thumb over his shoulder toward the elevator doors. Kyuhyun looked over in time to see a tall man emerge from the elevator, dressed in an obviously expensive suit and holding an equally expensive looking briefcase in his left hand. His sunglasses looked fancy too. Kyuhyun groaned and rubbed his forehead, this guy just radiated the word _cunt_ _._ Even from a distance. 

“Where is Ryeowook?” He called in a deep, smooth voice, a smug grin plastered across his face as he sauntered into the bullpen. 

“You’ve changed since we last saw you, Siwon.” Wonshik said with a raised eyebrow. Siwon reached up and removed his glasses, his grin still present. 

“I know, I look incredible with a beard, don’t I? Just your type Wonshik.” Siwon chuckled, winking at Wonshik. Taekwoon glared at Siwon and opened his mouth before quickly closing it again, resorting to just glaring at Siwon, rather than provoking him. 

“Oh, don’t worry Taekwoon, I don’t want your husband, I’m just having a laugh.” Siwon chuckled once again, before moving on to approach Irene, who had now come out of her office. 

“Hello, Irene my love, good to see you again.” Siwon said cheerily, coming to a stop about 2 feet away from Irene. Irene looked up to meet Siwon’s gaze and folded her arms, not giving in to his attempts at charming her. 

“You took your time. Go left and you’ll meet Kyuhyun.” Irene replied flatly. Siwon’s smile dropped and he looked over to his left, his head moving slowly as he checked Kyuhyun out briefly. 

“Kyuhyun? No Hongbin?” Siwon asked, his expression still unhappy. Irene rolled her eyes and waved Kyuhyun over, her own expression as stern as Siwon’s. 

“Hongbin has moved onto another department. Likely because he was tired of your antics. This is Kyuhyun and he is now in charge of any cases relating to your… Little friends.” Irene finished before turning and quickly walking into her office. Kyuhyun and Siwon stared at each other for a minute before Siwon finally spoke

“You’re our new Hongbin?” He asked, looking Kyuhyun up and down again. Kyuhyun crossed his arms and looked Siwon’s body over before answering

“No. I’m Kyuhyun. Follow me. Your friend isn’t happy in there, you might say he had a hissy fit.” Kyuhyun said as he headed back toward the interview room where Ryeowook was still sulking on the floor. Siwon followed and opened the door before Kyuhyun had the chance to, which peeved the smaller slightly. 

“Ryeowook, my dear, what’s all this fuss I’m hearing about?” He asked as he sauntered into the room. Kyuhyun could feel his blood pressure begin to rise already, and he had only been in this guys presence for 5 minutes. A total of 45 minutes on the case. There was no way in hell he would survive the next week.


	2. Daddy's Little Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyuhyun learns exactly why Hongbin had bashed his head against the wall those few months ago, then proceeds to drink his own frustration away.

Kyuhyun was ready to start banging his head on the wall, just as he had seen Hongbin do months beforehand. As soon as Siwon had entered the interview room Ryeowook had suddenly become the most talkative, friendly, well mannered, submissive person Kyuhyun had ever seen. He had also spent the entire interview seated comfortably on Siwon’s lap, a toothy grin plastered across his small face, as if he was taunting Kyuhyun. 

“So, we’ll be off now wont we, Ryeo?” Siwon said cheerily, once again making Kyuhyun’s blood boil. Ryeowook smiled at Kyuhyun and hopped down from Siwon’s lap, landing gently on the concrete floor he had been sulking on not 2 hours ago. 

“Yes! I’d hate to miss dinner. It’s Hyukjae’s turn to cook, he’s so good at making stews!” Ryeowook chimed, then turned to shrug on his obnoxiously pink baseball jacket, almost blinding Kyuhyun in the process. Siwon grinned and stood up also, clipped his briefcase shut and headed for the door, Ryeowook hot on his heels. Kyuhyun grunted and stood up, trudging behind the mismatched pair as they headed out toward the elevator. 

“It was nice to meet you, Kyuhyun, I hope we see each other again soon!” Ryeowook called from the elevator, his small hand waving to Kyuhyun. 

Kyuhyun trudged across to his desk and flopped down into his seat, totally deflated. 

“I told you you’d need something stronger than coffee. Here.” A familiar, soft voice said from behind Kyuhyun. He turned to see Irene’s face above his head as she reached to place a small glass on his desk, her expression softer than usual. Kyuhyun smiled just a little and picked up the cup, swirling the liquid around for a second before turning to face Irene again.

“What’s in it?” He asked skeptically, watching as the bubbles travelled to the top of the glass. 

“If a sudden inspection happens, its peach lemonade. But between you and me, its peach schnapps and lemonade.” Irene said softly. Kyuhyun laughed and took a long gulp from the glass, immediately relaxing as the taste of alcoholic, artificial peach washed over his tongue. Irene had been  _ very _ right about Kyuhyun needing something stronger, Ryeowook had been so artificially sweet and lovely as soon as Siwon arrived that it made Kyuhyun angry. It was as if he was interviewing a child who had acted up in class then gone back to being a little angel as soon as daddy had arrived. It was infuriating. 

Through the window beside his desk Kyuhyun could see Siwon and Ryeowook getting into a huge, expensive looking sports car. He scoffed and turned back to his computer, finally powering it up with the intent to search some names, Siwon and Ryeowook’s particularly, given they were obviously well known people. He didn’t have anywhere to be, so Kyuhyun decided he would spend his night researching the pair and their associates, to better familiarise himself with the case he was now entirely responsible for.

  
  


♱

“I don’t know what you did this time, Ryeo, but you have to be more careful, okay? Hae wont be happy if you get arrested.” Siwon sighed as he buckled his seatbelt, pulling it a little after hearing the dull click ring out. Ryeowook looked down and began to fiddle with his sleeve, suddenly a lot meeker than he had been when he was in the interview room with Siwon and Kyuhyun. 

“I was just looking for someone.. I didn’t really do anything bad..” Ryeowook mumbled sadly, now that Siwon had decided to tell him off, albeit weakly. Siwon reached to wrap his large hand around Ryeowook’s much smaller thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I know. But the police don’t see it that way. Be careful, yes?” Siwon continued, his thumb now rubbing gentle circles on Ryeowook’s thigh. Ryeowook nodded and pouted a little, still not happy with being told off. “Don’t be so pouty, come on. Kiss.” Siwon said with a grin, his cheek turned to face Ryeowook. Ryeowook grinned and leaned up to press a kiss to Siwon’s cheek, carefully avoiding the area of it that had been taken over by facial hair, despite Siwon’s protests. 

“Its scratchy. I wont give you a real kiss until you make that thing go away.” Ryeowook said defiantly, smiling cheekily as he wiggled in his seat to get comfortable. Siwon grumbled and started the car, pulling out of the parking spot and turning onto the road ahead of them. 

They drove for a good hour, passing through the city and the suburbs, Ryeowook rambling all the way about his new blade that was coming in the mail the next day, before the normal looking homes began to become more sparse, until each house was separated from its neighbour by a good mile. Eventually, they spent 30 minutes on the road without seeing a single house, before turning down a tiny side road and approaching a farm that sat just off the beaten track. Or as Ryeowook and Siwon called it, home. The dirt track lead up to a 2 door garage, one of these doors propped open in anticipation of Siwon and Ryeowook’s arrival. The garage lead into a large house, which from the outside looked like a regular farmhouse, but in reality was a communal living space with many, many hidden rooms. As soon as the car rolled into the garage Ryeowook sprung out and skipped through the open door into the main part of the house, his kitten heels creating little taps as he disappeared across the tiles in the kitchen and into the living area. 

“You look like you’ve had a day and a half.” A voice called from outside the garage, immediately catching Siwon’s attention. He turned to see the familiar figure of Jungsoo waiting outside the garage, his usual bright smile present on his face. Siwon shook his head and locked his car up, a final beep indicating it was all secure. 

“Just Ryeo getting up to his usual antics, nothing too big.” Siwon said calmly. He began to move over to where Jungsoo stood, the dirt of the driveway crunching under his feet as he walked. Jungsoo nodded knowingly, wiping dregs of black oil from his hands with an old rag. 

“Of course. He said he was looking for someone when he left this morning. I assumed that meant stalking,” Jungsoo laughed. Siwon ruffled Jungsoo’s hair and wiped a smear of oil from the shorters cheekbone, attempting to clean it but only making it worse,

“You look quite handsome with all that oil on your face, Jungsoo. Like one of those men from a cologne commercial or something of that nature.” He said with a chuckle, noticing how red Jungsoo’s cheeks had become. 

“Oh.. I thought I just looked scruffy..” Jungsoo mumbled, looking down at the ground in an attempt to hide his blush. Siwon gently took Jungsoo’s chin between his fingers and tilted his head back up to meet his eyes,

“You look handsome. What have you been up to, while i’ve been wrangling our little whirlwind?” He asked, sparing Jungsoo from any further flustering. Jungsoo perked up slightly and tucked the oil rag into his waistband, letting it hang there in case it was needed later on.

“I’ve been messing with that old beater Kangin found the other day, I think i’ve managed to get it to a better condition, we could even use it for a getaway car, the police don’t know we have it since its new.” Jungsoo said happily, a big grin on his face once again. Siwon ruffled Jungsoo’s hair again and looked over his head, waving to Kangin, who had just come out of the large metal shed across the field the 3 mechanics used as their hideout. Jungsoo turned to see who Siwon was waving at, then waved himself after noticing Kangin. 

“He’s been in a bit of a strop today, I think he needs to smoke a little.” Jungsoo giggled, then turned and headed into the house behind Siwon. 

Siwon waited by the garage for a minute as Kangin approached, his shirt as messy as Jungsoo’s face had been.

“All good?” Kangin asked as he finally reached the driveway. Siwon nodded and passed Kangin a tissue, gesturing to the oil smears on his face,

“All good, you? Jungsoo said you seemed a little under the weather today.” Siwon said with an expression of slight concern. Kangin sighed and cleaned his face for second, then pushed the tissue into his pocket,

“I’m okay. Just… Jungsoo looked pretty good today. The usual pain, you know.” Kangin muttered. Siwon nodded and patted Kangin’s shoulder, his expression softening,

“I understand. Why don’t you go take a shower? It smells like dinner is almost done.” Siwon suggested. Kangin nodded and patted Siwon’s shoulder in return, then headed into the house. Siwon sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly a little worried about Kangin, despite knowing the other would be okay as soon as he could shower and roll a joint. Siwon shook his head and began to head into the house also, locking the door behind him, now able to bathe in the aroma of Hyukjae’s cooking. He had been looking forward to this. 


	3. Home, Sweet Home

"Hyukkie, that smells so good! You're such a good cook!" Ryeowook squealed excitedly upon entering the kitchen, his little kitten heels clicking against the tiles as he skipped through the room. He came to a stop beside Hyukjae, who had turned to search for the source of the clicking. Hyukjae grinned and extended an arm toward Ryeowook, indicating for the smaller to come closer. Ryeowook skipped over to where Hyukjae stood beside the stove, ready to be doted on and babied till he couldn’t stand anymore. 

“What kind of trouble have you been up to now, my little devil?” Hyukjae chastised, catching Ryeowook off guard and causing a heavy pout to form on his lips. He stepped forward and buried his face into Hyukjae’s chest, breathing in his deep, inviting scent. 

“I was just looking for someone.. I promise..” Ryeowook mumbled, his nose buried between Hyukjae’s pecs, which were strategically exposed by his open shirt. Hyukjae chuckled and kissed the top of Ryeowook’s head, the silver strands of the shorters highlights brushing over his nose ring. 

“Of course, I guessed as much. Did Siwon bring you anything to eat?” Hyukjae asked gently, his right hand carding through Ryeowook’s hair. Ryeowook shook his head and whined quietly, deciding to play up his cutesy act, just to see what he could gain from it. 

“I didn’t even get breakfast… Just a candy bar I took from a stall near lunch time…” Ryeowook whined, bouncing lightly on his toes. “I had to wait with some nasty guy in the station, they took my Hongbin…” He whined again, grinning to himself when Hyukjae’s body froze. He looked up to study Hyukjae’s expression with innocent looking eyes, despite the fact he was grinning like a cheshire cat on the inside. 

“Why did they take Hongbin? Where did he go?” Hyukjae asked softly, extending his arms to hold Ryeowook at arms length. 

“He moved, they gave us to some guy called Kyuhyun.” Ryeowook replied. Hyukjae looked thoughtful for a second before handing Ryeowook a wooden spoon and gesturing to the large pot sitting on the stove. 

“Stir this for me, okay? I need to go talk to Hae. I’ll be back in a minute.” He said before pressing a kiss to Ryeowook’s forehead and heading for the kitchen door, leaving behind a slightly miffed Ryeowook. He had not intended to be put to work this evening. 

♱

Hyukjae sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking out the last few loose knots as he speed walked through the house, his destination clearly pictured in his mind. He passed by many open doors on his way through the house, briefly glancing in each room as he passed by just in case his intended target wasn’t quite where he thought it would be. Eventually he reached a closed door, stopping abruptly to knock before swinging it open, bursting into the room suddenly. 

In the previously closed off room Hyukjae thankfully saw Donghae, who happened to be exactly who he was looking for sitting comfortably on an ornate couch. His left arm thrown lazily across the backboard of the couch, while his right hand delicately held a lit cigarette. He turned to face Hyukjae, his expression unreadable, and slowly blew a cloud of smoke from between his lips. 

“Are you okay, dear?” Donghae asked in a tone as neutral as his expression, although his deep brown eyes conveyed a quiet concern only Hyukjae would be able to pick up, knowing Donghae as well as he does. Hyukjae sighed heavily and closed the door, the heavy oak clunking against the frame as he did so. 

“Well, I’m okay, but there’s a slight problem.” Hyukjae said. Donghae raised an eyebrow and shifted closer to the edge of the couch, patting the space beside him. Hyukjae moved toward the couch and let his body fall against the couch cushions, then shifted to lean against Donghae, his head securely rested on the latters chest.

“Tell me whats wrong, I’m sure we can fix it,” Donghae said softly, lowering his cigarette to Hyukjae’s lips. Hyukjae accepted the cigarette gratefully and inhaled deeply, relaxing a little more against Donghae’s chest as the smoke swirled through his lungs. He let the smoke sit for a few seconds before blowing it back out again, watching as the plume swirled and faded in the air. 

“Hongbin has been taken off our case. Theres a new detective called Kyuhyun on us.” Hyukjae said slowly, relaxing further as Donghae began to rub soothing circles on his shoulder blade. Donghae hummed thoughtfully, the vibrations slowly rumbling through his chest. 

“Well, thats not ideal. Whats he like?” Donghae mumbled, blowing another plume of smoke over Hyukjae’s head. Hyukjae carefully guided Donghae’s hand up to his face to take another drag from the now shared cigarette, a privilege exclusive to Hyukjae and Hyukjae only. 

“I haven’t met him. Only Ryeo and Siwon have. Ryeo said hes nasty but we all know what he’s like, and I haven’t spoken to Siwon yet.” He said thoughtfully, now staring up at the ceiling. Donghae nodded and nudged Hyukjae carefully, urging him to sit up. 

“I’ll speak with him later, you go finish what you were cooking, I’ll come downstairs shortly.” He said with the slightest smile, which was a lot, considering he smiled very rarely. Hyukjae nodded and turned to leave, but was stopped by Donghae’s hand on his wrist. He looked confused for a second, only to have him confusion cut short as Donghae pulled him in for a careful hug, his hand still gripping Hyukjae’s wrist possessively. Donghae eventually pulled away, now fully grinning Hyukjae. 

“Now go. I’ll be there soon. I’ll wake Sungmin up on my way.” Donghae said. Hyukjae nodded for a second time and turned to leave without being stopped his time, walking with his head down just in case he came across anyone on his walk back to the kitchen, not wanting to be bothered on his was back to the kitchen. He had a meal to focus on.


	4. A Stark Contrast

The kitchen becomes a hub of activity in the evenings, no matter how many people are actually home at the time. The thousand bowls and plates create ceramic clattering as Hyukjae brings them down from the cupboard, passing them off to Siwon to be laid across the table.

“What’s brewing, chef Ramsey?” Siwon asks cheekily, finally having changed out of his suit and into a pair of comfy grey sweatpants and a graphic tee, a stark contrast to what he liked to call his “police persona”, i.e, the narcissist act. Hyukjae rolled his eyes and turned off the stove, finally finishing his afternoon project,

“Its just an army stew. Don’t call me chef Ramsey I’m not some middle aged white man, I’m a sexy motherfucker, can’t you see?” Hyukjae retorted, suddenly leaning against the counter and striking a pose, his lips pushed into an over the top pout. From the doorway someone snorted softly, catching Hyukjae’s attention. 

“What are you doing Hyuk?” Sungmin said quietly, their voice soft and obviously tired. Hyukjae laughed and struck another pose, this time much more dramatic than his previous pose. 

“I’m proving that I’m sexy, see?” Hyukjae said, sticking his tongue out at Siwon in reaction to the other’s hearty laugh. “Come sit down Minnie, I made your favourite.” He continued, gesturing for Sungmin to come sit at the table. Sungmin inhaled deeply and gasped, clasping their hands together in joy as the smell washed over them,

“Army stew!” They shouted happily, finally skipping over to their usual seat. Hyukjae grinned and picked up a frying pan from the counter, along with a metal spoon. Siwon groaned and covered his ears, fully aware of what was about to happen. Hyukjae drew his arm back and hit the frying pan with full force, the metal clanks reverberating through the kitchen and into the nearby rooms. Sungmin whined and covered their ears also, the clanking extra painful for them, given that they had only just woken up. 

“DINNER!” Hyukjae yelled cheerfully, walking around the perimeter of the kitchen, still hitting his frying pan with the spoon. 

After about a minute Jungsoo and Ryeowook ambled through the doorway connecting the kitchen and the stairway, Ryeowook now wearing his usual obnoxiously coloured pyjamas and Jungsoo wearing a suspiciously Kangin sized hoodie, but the occupants of the kitchen collectively decided not to question it. After a few minutes Donghae and Kangin arrived through the door connecting the kitchen and the stairway, Kangin now looking much more relaxed and also fresh out of the shower, his hair still clinging to his forehead in places. The 4 new arrivals took their usual seats, finally happy to sit down and eat after working their asses of in various ways for the whole day. 

“So, Ryeo, I hear you met someone new today?” Donghae asked between mouthfuls of food, breaking up the many conversations happening across the table abruptly as everyone turned to listen. Ryeowook nodded and dropped his spoon against the edge of his bowl, suddenly looking less happy. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not upset, I’d just like to know about this Kyuhyun character.” Donghae carried on, his expression softening slightly. Siwon reached over to grip Ryeowook’s thigh, urging him to reply.

“He was older than Hongbin, looked really grumpy, WAS really grumpy. He didn’t like me or Siwon much, and he asked stupid questions.” Ryeowook rambled, obviously very unhappy with the events of his day. Donghae nodded along to Ryeowook’s rambling, his expression soft and caring, although his eyes regularly flicked around the room to make sure everyone was staying quiet to let Ryeowook speak. After Ryeowook finished his rambling he sighed deeply, obviously very upset. Donghae nodded and pushed the ladle sticking out of the stew pot towards Ryeowook, urging him to refill his bowl. 

“So, it looks like we have to befriend this new detective, don’t we?” Donghae muttered, slightly annoyed at the situation at hand. Ryeowook pouted and stocked up on stew, sneakily hoarding all the best parts for himself,

“Can I fuck him too?” He asked, preparing to utilise his puppy eyes if needed. Jungsoo rolled his eyes and shoved another clump of rice into his mouth, staring at Ryeowoook dissapprovingly as he did so.

“Really? Hongbin suddenly leaves the case and all you’re worried about is whether you can seduce the new detective?” He said, muffled by the food still in his mouth. Ryeowook stuck his tongue out in response, only to be flicked on the forehead by Sungmin

“He’s right Ryeo, your priorities aren’t exactly in line right now.” They chastised, their voice still soft as ever. 

The two continued to bicker as conversation moved on to lighter topics such as the projects outside in the mechanics shed, and upstairs in Heechul’s ‘lair’ that no one is allowed into. As everyone began to finish their meals Ryeowook and Sungmin finally stopped bickering, deciding to talk about knives instead, much to everyone else's relief. Hyukjae began to gather up the now dirty dishes, with Siwon and Kangin’s help. 

“Hey, Hyukjae, look at this.” Ryeowook called out from his seat at the table, catching Hyukjae’s attention. Hyukjae turned to face Ryeowook, narrowing his eyes when he noticed Sungmin’s badly hidden giggles. 

“Look at what, Ryeo?” Hyukjae questioned, grabbing a towel to dry his hands and strolling over to the table. Ryeowook giggled for a second, then gingerly took his bottom lip between his thumbs and index fingers, pulling it downwards to reveal a fresh looking line of black tattooed letters that read _‘SLUT’_. Ryeowook and Sungmin both went back to giggling, curling up onto each other as Hyukjae’s eyes widened significantly. Hyukjae sputtered for a second before finally forcing out a sentence, his eyes still widened in surprise

“When did you get that?” He choked out, failing heavily at keeping his cool. Ryeowook grinned and looked up at Hyukjae proudly, his big eyes sparkling under the studio lights of the kitchen.

“I had it done this morning, before that rude policeman took me to the station. Do you like it?” He asked, doing his classic ‘innocent eyes’ to rile Hyukjae up further. Hyukjae nodded silently and turned quickly, his feet carrying him quickly back to the sink in an attempt to escape the situation at hand. 

“I do. Go show Donghae, he’ll like it too.” Hyukjae called behind himself, still flustered by Ryeowook’s sudden reveal. He sighed lightly in relief as the sound of a chair scraping against tiles rang out, hurting his ears just a little bit. Ryeowook’s footsteps gradually disappeared into the living room, accompanied by his muffled giggles, allowing Hyukjae to relax slightly. The kitchen remained quiet for a few minutes until the sound of a second chair moving across tiles caught Hyukjae’s attention, although he didn’t turn to see what was happening since he knew Sungmin hadn’t left with Ryeowook when he ran off to cause Donghae the same issues he had caused Hyukjae previously. The sound of gentle footsteps approached Hyukjae until he felt a pair of slender arms wrap themselves around his stomach, as well as a much smaller body settling against his back. Hyukjae smiled and continued scrubbing the dishes in the sink, allowing Sungmin to hug him to their hearts content. 

“Are you okay there, Minnie?” Hyukjae asked fondly, feeling Sungmin snuggle their face gently between his shoulder blades. 

“I’m just sleepy.. Thats all..” Sungmin mumbled against Hyukjae’s shirt, their voice quiet as ever. Hyukjae chuckled and placed the last dish on the rack, intending to dry his hands and turn around, but was stopped by Sungmin squeezing his body tighter, clearly not happy with the idea of having to move. 

“Minnie, you woke up from a nap to come eat, how are you still tired?” Hyukjae asked, badly hiding his concern for the shorter. Sungmin giggled and finally stepped back, allowing Hyukjae to turn so they could speak face to face. 

“I did, but I stayed up all night making something, I had only been napping for an hour.” They said throughout a series of small yawns. Hyukjae sighed and pulled their head against his chest, now making his concerns obvious. Sungmin relaxed again and poked Hyukjae’s chest in a weak attempt at telling him off,

“Don’t worry about me, I’m gonna go back to bed now, I was awake for 36 hours before my nap…” They mumbled, reassuring Hyukjae gently. Hyukjae nodded and pressed a kiss to Sungmin’s nose, causing the smaller to giggle quietly. 

“Good. Now, go, otherwise you’ll fall asleep right here.” Hyukjae said sternly, carefully pushing Sungmin off of his chest and urging them to head upstairs, which they did, but not before stealing a bag of potato chips for a midnight snack. Hyukjae watched Sungmin head off to their room fondly, but also to make sure they kept their promise and actually went upstairs to sleep. After hearing the sound of Sungmin’s bedroom door closing Hyukjae finally turned to walk into the living room, ready to spend the rest of the evening with his insane pseudo-family, who Hyukjae guessed were being mass murdered in the living room, if the yelling was anything to go off. 


	5. 9.37pm

Kyuhyun had finally looked through every file Irene had given him that day when he checked the clock for the first time that evening. _9.37pm,_ the red numbers glared at him. Kyuhyun groaned and leaned back in his chair, his hands covering his face and rubbing the tiredness away from his eyes. He had read every page of every file related to his new case, or as the entire department affectionately referred to it as, his new Circus. The 10 files totalled an average of 100 pages each, meaning Kyuhyun had read close to a thousand pages. Granted most of the pages were related to previous jail time and past charges, but even that can become tedious when there’s just so MANY charges. Kyuhyun flipped his notebook closed and stood up, deciding that maybe he should go home, lest his roommate Zhoumi show up to the station and drag Kyuhyun home himself. 

The train ride home from work had never been anything special for Kyuhyun, if anything, it was the worst part of his day. Making a habit of staying late meant that Kyuhyun regularly had the wonderful privilege of riding the train with drunks and rowdy high school boys. The tall buildings flew past the window Kyuhyun had let his head loll against, their thousand bright lights creating streaks among the darkness of the outer areas of the city. 

Kyuhyun decided to re-read the notes he had made on the various files to pass time, but also to reinforce his knowledge of each member of “The Circus”. The notes on each personality were brief, but got the point across, for Kyuhyun at least. 

  
  


_Park Soyeon: 36, 5’10, female._

_Known to be a mechanic, not physically intimidating, not aggressive, all charges relating to car/car part theft or minor assaults_

_Kim Heechul: 36, 5’10, male._

_Known to be incredibly intelligent, speaks 5 languages (5 known to police), not physically intimidating, not outwardly aggressive, all charges related to counterfeiting or physical assaults_

_Kim Youngwoon: 35, 5’10, male_

_Known to be a mechanic, incredibly physically intimidating, not aggressive, all charges related to minor assault or drugs_

_Kim Jongwoon: 35, 5’10, male._

_Known to be very computer savvy, not physically intimidating, not aggressive, all charges relating to cyber crime or minor assaults._

_Shin Donghee: 34, 5’10, male_

_Known to be very knowledgeable about weapons and how to utilise them, most knowledgable about firearms, somewhat physically intimidating, all charges related to gun crime or physical assault_

_Lee Sungmin: 34, 5’7, male_

_Known to be very knowledgable about weapons and how to build/create them, most knowledgable about blades and handheld weapons, not physically intimidating, all previous charges related to possession of weapons or prohibited materials._

_Lee Hyukjae: 33, 5’9, male_

_Known to be very dangerous and very knowledgable about weapons, no specific area of specialised knowledge, very physically intimidating (facial tattoos, muscular build), very aggressive, all charges related to physical assault or possession of weapons._

_Choi Siwon: 33, 6’1, male_

_No previous charges or history of legal trouble, acts as legal representation for all known members of “The Circus”. Narcissistic, wealthy, intelligent, physically intimidating, not known to be aggressive. Important to know about as much as convicted members._

_Lee Donghae: 33, 5’9, male_

_Known to be the ‘mastermind’ behind most crimes committed by the circus, physically intimidating (facial tattoos, muscular build), not physically aggressive. All charges related to conspiracy or physical assaults._

_Kim Ryeowook: 32, 5’8, male_

_Known to be involved with planning and interrogating anyone targeted by the circus, not physically intimidating, incredibly aggressive, all charges related to assaults or theft._

Kyuhyun sighed and closed the notebook after hearing the announcer call his stop, glad to finally be on the final 5 minutes of his journey, a harsh craving for chinese food suddenly overcoming him. Good thing he lives in an apartment with a Chinese guy that loves to cook. The final 2 blocks of Kyuhyun’s walk were thankfully uneventful, leading him up to his apartment building and up to his front door, the same as every night. 

“Oh. My. God.” A voice called out as Kyuhyun stepped into the apartment, “Cho Kyuhyun. I am going to put you on a curfew, if you keep coming home so late.” The voice continued. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and turned to face the owner of the voice, his roommate, Zhoumi. Or as Kyuhyun called him (sarcastically), mama. 

“I got given a new case Zhou, I couldn’t help it this time.” Kyuhyun sighed, throwing his jacket haphazardly toward the coat rack. Zhoumi rolled his eyes and beckoned Kyuhyun over to him, then headed into the kitchen. Kyuhyun followed Zhoumi into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar, supporting his head with his hands,

“Whats for dinner, mama?” He questioned cheekily, grinning at Zhoumi’s annoyed expression. 

“Orange chicken and pork friend rice, with pancakes. Is that satisfactory for sir?” Zhoumi replied, stirring one of the pans of food carefully. Kyuhyun cheered internally and clapped his hands, Zhoumi’s orange chicken was exactly what he needed after such a long day. 

The pair talked about their days for the next 15 minutes as Zhoumi prepared their dinner, the various smells wrapping around them both and travelling throughout the apartment. When the plates hit the bar Kyuhyun immediately began to eat, shovelling the chicken into his mouth and barely chewing the rice before swallowing, not having realised just how hungry he really was. Zhoumi watched as Kyuhyun ate before digging into his own food, shaking his head at Kyuhyun.

“You didn’t eat lunch did you?” Zhoumi chastised, his caring nature shining through once again. Kyuhyun groaned and rolled his eyes, shovelling even more rice into his mouth. 

“I ate lunch at 11am, so I did, just not at the regular time. I had a rough interview.” He said between his mouthfuls of food, every other word slightly muffled. Zhoumi raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his drink, his silence urging Kyuhyun to continue. 

“I got handed a new case, the department calls it the circus.” Kyuhyun continued, too engrossed in his meal to notice Zhoumi’s brief cease in movement. “There’s 10 different people involved, Zhou, 9 guys and 1 girl. Its insane. They have something stupid like 50 charges combined.” He continued on his ramble, once again not noticing Zhoumi’s sudden change in demeanour. He carried on talking for a good 5 minutes before Zhoumi finally spoke up, having regained his composure,

“That sounds like a shit show. No wonder you were so late home…” Zhoumi said carefully, watching Kyuhyun’s face for any negative reactions. He relaxed slightly when Kyuhyun groaned in response, dropping a notebook on the bar between them both. 

“Tell me about it. I interviewed 2 of them today. They were insufferable. I had to write up profiles on them all.” Kyuhyun sighed heavily, leaning back against his barstool. Zhoumi nodded understandingly and patted Kyuhyun’s arm gently, gesturing toward the hallway just beyond the kitchen.

“Why don’t you go shower than go to bed? Its already 11pm and you’ll for sure have another day of fun tomorrow.” He said softly, once again gesturing toward the hallway. Kyuhyun nodded and stood up, stretching his arms before trudging off to the bathroom, already thinking about the soft sheets of his bed and how good he would sleep after a nice hot shower. 

As soon as the shower turned on Zhoumi grabbed the notebook left on the bar, flicking through to the page marked with a cardboard bookmark and carefully reading over the notes Kyuhyun had made that day. 

“Shit…” He muttered as his eyes scanned the page, taking in a list of very familiar names and charges. He closed the notebook and set it down on the bar where it had previously been, careful to make it look undisturbed. Zhoumi stood beside the bar for a second, contemplating deeply, then grabbed his phone from the counter behind him to shoot off a text. 

_“Come over tomorrow morning, both of you, early as possible. Love you <3” _He typed out quickly, watching as 2 icons appeared almost immediately after the message sent. 

_“Sure, love you too xx”_

_“Will bring food xx”_

The two replies read, calming Zhoumi’s nerves slightly, but not entirely. He paced the kitchen for a few minutes before deciding to just go to bed and push it away for a little while, trying not to stress himself out unnecessarily. 

“Its fine. It’ll all be okay.” Zhoumi muttered to himself again, throwing his phone onto the other side of his bed and falling face first into the soft pillows, letting the clutches of sleep envelop him finally, taking all his worries away. For the time being at least.


	6. It Doesn't Get Easier

The shrill beeping of his alarm ripped Kyuhyun out of his peaceful slumber in the same way it did every morning, at 7.30am sharp. He groaned in displeasure, slamming the off button on his alarm to shut it up, then finally rolled out of bed, his vision blurry and distorted. 

“Eugh… The Cirus…” Kyuhyun groaned to himself, remembering what laid ahead of him. He rummaged through his closet for a few minutes before deciding to just wear his usual patterned button up shirt and jeans, given that he probably wouldn’t be going out into the field much for the time being, and Irene had never been a stickler for dress codes anyway. He dressed himself slowly, making note of the time his clock read before leaving the room to go bug Zhoumi to make him breakfast, as per usual. 

Upon leaving the room Kyuhyun noticed a familiar smell, and heard a familiar voice. 

“You’re here early, is someone dying?” Kyuhyun called out cheekily before entering the kitchen, happy to see exactly who he expected sitting at the breakfast bar. 

“If by someone you mean me, yes, someone is dying. But otherwise no, just business as usual.” A voice called back, just as cheekily as Kyuhyun had sounded beforehand. Zhoumi tutted and pushed a plate toward Kyuhyun that was already filled with eggs, bacon and toast, Kyuhyun’s favourite breakfast. 

“Don’t be so rude, Henry, I’m not dragging you here myself am I? You got in the car and drove yourself. You should sleep earlier” Zhoumi chastised, handing Kyuhyun a mug full of almond flavour coffee. Kyuhyun accepted the mug gratefully, blowing on it before taking a sip, finally feeling just a little bit awake. Zhoumi buzzed around the kitchen for a few more minutes before finally sitting down, eating his own breakfast with the rest of his companions. They ate quietly for a few minutes, allowing Kyuhyun to wake up fully before engaging him in proper conversation, not wanting to fry his brain so early in the day. 

“So, I hear you have a new case, Kyu?” Henry asked with a smile, his eyes forming happy crescents, just as they always did. Kyuhyun groaned and nodded, chewing for a few seconds before clearing his throat to respond

“I do, its awful, there's so much to read up on it.” He sighed, taking another gulp of his coffee. Henry nodded understandingly, his soft features making Kyuhyun feel at ease. “Plus, I met 2 of them yesterday, made me realise why the previous detective banged his head on a wall and left the department.” Kyuhyun continued, chuckling ever so slightly at Hongbin’s past pains. Henry and Zhoumi laughed too, understanding Hongbin’s pain, although Kyuhyun was none the wiser to that fact. Zhoumi looked up at the clock hanging above the doorway and gasped, catching the attention of the other 2 men.

“Its 8.15, you’ll miss your train Kyu.” He said urgently, thrusting Kyuhyun’s notebook into his hands and pushing him toward the door. Kyuhyun startled and hastily slipped his shoes on, suddenly a lot more enthusiastic to be up and moving. 

“Fuck, you’re right, I’ll probably be home late again, please don’t yell at me. Bye Henry!” Kyuhyun called into the apartment before Zhoumi shut the door. Zhoumi listened for a second, making note of how Kyuhyun’s quick footsteps became quieter as the seconds went by. He sighed in relief, his forehead leaning against the door. 

“So… The circus is his then.” Henry said, his tone laced with concern. Zhoumi nodded and sat down again, tapping the counter with his nails. The two sat quietly for a minute until Henry broke the silence

“He’s going to find out eventually, we’ll have to uproot and move.” He said with a hint of sadness, his words acting as narrative for Zhoumi’s thoughts. Zhoumi bit his lip, nodding in reluctant agreement. 

“Yeah… We will. Not that I want to…” Zhoumi muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Henry reached out to take Zhoumi’s hand, gently caressing the others smooth skin comfortingly. Zhoumi thought for a second before picking up Henry’s hand and pressing a comically loud smooch onto it, making the other giggle in surprise.

“Well, we’d better wait for Geng and then talk this out later.” He said with a solem grin. Henry laughed and picked up his phone, checking the notifications briefly before opening it, intending to text the missing party. Zhoumi picked up his own phone and opened his messaging app, his eyes glancing over the various contact icons, his actions suddenly stopped by a nagging thought. 

_ “Do you want to put him in a grave?” _

♱

The bullpen always had a strangely comforting aura, to Kyuhyun, it felt like a second home. It could literally be a second home with the amount of time Kyuhyun spent hunched over his desk, surrounded by papers and case files. 

As Kyuhyun finally strolled through the front doors of his work building he noticed a familiar smell wafting throughout the air, a smell Kyuhyun enjoyed intensely,

“Oh my god… Cake.” Kyuhyun muttered to himself, heading hastily toward the stairs up to his floor. He hopped up the stairs quickly, weaving around his coworkers as he went, finally making it to the corridor leading to his work area. Just as Kyuhyun moved to turn into the bullpen, a hand gripped his wrist firmly, surprising him.

“Uh, what--” Kyuhyun started to say before looking up to see who had grabbed him so firmly. He relaxed slightly upon seeing Hongbin standing beside him, although his expression looked serious. 

“Come with me and be quiet.” Hongbin stated firmly, tugging on Kyuhyun’s arm. Kyuhyun furrowed his eyebrows for a second before walking alongside Hongbin, now slightly worried about the others seriousness, which was not at all like Hongbin, not as Kyuhyun knew him. They walked for a minute until Hongbin yanked the door of a nearby closet open and pushed a still extremely confused Kyuhyun into the small room, then stepped in himself and locked the door, rattling the handle for a second to check it was locked properly.

“Hongbin, what the hell?” Kyuhyun whispered, still extremely concerned about Hongbin’s out of character actions. Hongbin sighed and let his body relax against the metal rack behind him, contemplating for a few seconds before speaking,

“You’ve been given my old case, right?” He asked. Kyuhyun nodded slowly in response, urging Hongbin to carry on. “You need to take this. Those people are… Insane. Their files don’t even cover half of what you need to know.” Hongbin carried on, extending a hand toward Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun looked skeptical for a second, but nonetheless took the old, battered notebook Hongbin held tightly in his hand. 

“You don’t have to say that again, I met 2 of them yesterday. They were awful.” Kyuhyun grumbled, tucking the notebook into his jacket. Hongbin raised an eyebrow, his curiosity obvious in his expression. 

“Who did you meet?” He queried. Kyuhyun groaned and leaned back against the rack, just as Hongbin had a few minutes before. 

“Ryeowook and the lawyer. He threw a fit because I wasn’t you.” Kyuhyun said with a hint of a laugh, finally realising how ridiculous his situation had become. Hongbin laughed also, remembering his own, very similar first meeting with Ryeowook. 

“Yeah… That sounds like him.” Hongbin said, pausing for a second before speaking again. “Don’t think he’s the worst of them, because hes not. You’ll meet the rest of them as time goes on. Word of advice, don’t underestimate any of them at all, read the notebook like its your bible.” Hongbin said sternly, suddenly back to his serious persona. Kyuhyun nodded, making note of Hongbin’s words. They stood in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both processing what they had talked about before Hongbin spoke up

“Well, I had better leave. Hackers to find and all that.” He said “Be careful, Kyu. I mean it.” He finished sternly before unlocking the door, leaving quickly. Kyuhyun waited for a second before leaving the closet also, not wanting to look suspicious to any passers by. 


End file.
